Look into the Sky
by Mikomi Hatake
Summary: Sasuke, Naruto, and Kakashi have just returned home from a mission that lasted two years. In that time Sakura has become a member of the ANBU, and a respected medicnin. Sakura has given up on Sasuke, but has fallen for another shinobi.
1. Welcome Home

The young kunoichi sat along the grassy shore with her bare feet dangling in the cool water below her. The trees provided a nice getaway from the hot summer sun beating down upon Konoha. She looked over to the man next to her on her left, his nose deep inside a copy of the latest volume of Come Come Paradise. He ran his fingers through his silver locks before looking up at the pink haired medic-nin, even with the mask on she could see him smile at her. She then looked to her other side, and smiled at the blond haired ninja. Finally she looked over at the last man. He looked up at her with a faint smile on his lips as he brushed his dark hair out of his eyes. Her boys were finally home after a mission that took them away from her for over two years, and she could not be any happier now that they were here with her. Team seven was together again.

In the time that it took the men in her life to complete their mission Sakura had become one of Konoha's best medic ninjas. After Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke departed for their mission, Tsunade had found it in Sakura's best interest to train daily with the Hokage, and to become the head of the medical division of Konoha's elite ninja. A member of the ANBU. It had taken almost two full years, but she was able to pull it off with hard training and the support of those around her.

Kakashi's uncovered eye traveled from the text in his adult novel to the dark tattoo on the porcelain like skin of his former student. It was a symbol triumph, determination and loyalty to their village. He had taught his students well, but now he was no longer their sensei because all three of them were members of the ANBU. They were equals in his eyes, and in the eyes of the villagers.

Naruto looked over to the final member of the Uchiha bloodline. With his brother finally gone Sasuke could work on building a family and a heir to the Uchiha family, as well as the Uchiha curse. The tragic nature of the family had been around for generations, and hopefully it would end with Uchiha Sasuke.

Sasuke closed his eyes and sighed. When he opened them back up Naruto was still staring at him. His blue eyes glistening in the sunlight. He was only nineteen, and had been through so much already. But it was like he refused to burden anyone with his pain. He hid it behind his broad smile, and his immature pranks. But that was the Naruto that they all knew and loved, nothing more was expected of him.

Team seven sat in silence, no one wanting to ruin the peaceful sounds of the rushing water of the chirping of the birds. They watched as twilight came and the sun disappeared under the horizon.

"Its so nice to be home." Naruto sighed as he lay himself down on the shore beside Sakura. She merely nodded in response as she placed her head on his legs and relaxed next to him.

Kakashi looked up from his favorite orange hardcover book, and smiled at his team. "It is great to finally be back."

"Yeah, I really missed you three."

"Don't worry Sakura-chan," Naruto began "We really missed you too."

They sat in silence again as the four of them watched the stars twinkle in the night sky. The full moon was visible behind the tall trees.

An hour or so passed before Sasuke stood up to leave. He turned to Sakura. "It was great seeing you again, but I do have plans with a girl tonight, and I don't want to keep her waiting."

Naruto laughed. He knew exactly who Sasuke was talking about. Since they had left for their mission the Uchiha boy had been keeping close contact with Yamanaka Ino, and he was supposed to meet her for a 'welcome home dinner' tonight.

Naruto sat up for a moment. "Are you going to ask her?"

"Yeah, I think I will." Sasuke winked at the blond boy, and left in a cloud of smoke.

Sakura looked over at Naruto with a questioning glance. "Ask who what?"

"Its nothing, but you can ask Ino about it later." Naruto laughed.

Sakura just nodded in response. She could begin to piece together what was happening with out having to hear the entire story. Sasuke was still looking for someone to raise a family with, and Ino still had her school girl crush on the last remaining soul of the Uchiha clan. It would not take a rocket scientist to figure out that Sasuke was going to ask for Ino's hand in marriage.

Sakura had long forgotten her crush on the Uchiha boy, and had begun to consider him as a part of her family. She was always there to care for him when he was ill, and she was there to comfort him when he needed security. After all, that is what family is for, to be there for you no matter what the situation may be.

She would always be there for the three men in her life. No matter what. Sasuke. Naruto. Kakashi. Her team. Her boys. Her family.


	2. The Mission

**Look into the Sky**  
Chapter Two: The Mission  
By Mikomi Hatake

**An: **Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed the first chapter! I really appreciate your comments and thoughts on the story. And they really help me out.

It was getting late, close to midnight, but neither of them wanted to leave the warmth of one another. He was sitting with his back against a tree, and she had her head in his lap. They both were laying there with their eyes closed, his hands entwined in her pink hair. The sounds of the rushing water and the crickets were all that the two could hear in the night.

Naruto had left the clearing almost an hour ago, giving the pink haired girl and the jounin some time alone. He said something about needing to see 'the nice man who ran the ramen house' about a bowl of ramen he was promised when he returned home.

Sakura let out a quiet sigh, but Kakashi was still able to hear the small sound.

"What's wrong Sakura-Chan?" He asked as he slowly ran his fingers through her pink locks.

"Oh, nothing Kakashi-Sensei. I'm just happy." She smiled.

Kakashi laid his head back against the tree that was supporting him up. "Please don't call me sensei, Sakura, you know that it makes me feel old."

"Hai, I'm sorry sensei." Sakura froze for a moment. "I mean…Kakashi-Kun." She smiled. Kakashi-Kun. It was cute, and in a way it fit him well.

Kakashi looked down at her face and a smile came across his covered lips. It was like she had chosen a nick name for the silver haired jounin. It was her name for him, and he liked it. "Thank you Sakura-Chan."

And in Sakura's mind that is how it all began.

For weeks Sakura and Kakashi would spend their evenings together, under the stars, looking up at the sky. They would talk to one another about whatever crossed their minds. They talked of her dreams and ambitions, his past, and their team, everything except the feelings that were brewing inside her.

By this time the pink haired girl had grown accustom to calling her former sensei Kakashi-kun, even when they were in the village. At first the villagers were shocked with Sakura's new name for the silver haired jounin, but eventually the villagers came to accept her nickname for Kakashi.

Sakura was close to all three of her boys. She was there when Sasuke proposed to Ino, she watched as Naruto prepared for his first date with Hinata, and she was the one who dragged a drunken Kakashi home from the village pub. They were her life, and she would do anything for her team. They were her family.

They stuck together, through thick and thin, rain and shine, and it gave Sakura a strong sense of security.

It was close to fall when team seven was given their first S rank mission. It was no where near the difficulty of an A rank mission, but it was still a handful for the team to complete. They were to accompany a business associate from Wind county back home after a meeting with the Hokage. Suzuki Masaru was very wealthy, and wanted to show up at home with Konoha's elite ninjas as his escorts. It was supposed to be an easy mission.

They were to accompany Masaru in their full ANBU outfits, masks and all. Sakura had also opted for a hood to hide her pink hair. There was really no need for her to stick out.

Several times during the trip to Wind Country with the big shot associate Sakura came close to unleashing her anger on Masaru. He had a big mouth, there was no doubt to that, but Sakura would of survived if Masaru had kept his mouth shut about there being a girl to escort him home.

The trip had started out fine. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, and the clouds held no threat to the weather. Naruto and Sasuke walked ahead of Masaru, while Sakura and Kakashi held up the rear. The conversations were light, just enough chatter to keep their minds on the task at hand.

Sakura spoke no more than a few words during the first half of the mission. Just an occasional 'yes' or 'no' in response to Naruto, who could not keep his mouth shut and his voice down. It wasn't until Kakashi had finished reading his adult novel, Come Come Paradise that Sakura began to liven up and talk.

The two walked close to each other, their conversation held in whispers.

"How many missions did Tsunade-Sama send you on while we were gone?" Kakashi asked, his full attention on the pink haired kunoichi.

"Other than delivering papers and healing people?" He nodded. "None."

He looked up to the clouds in the sky, and then back at her. "Well at least you were safe."

"Why would that matter to you?" She crossed her arms across her chest.

"At least you were not injured while I was away. I would of died if something had happened to you."

"What do you mean Kakashi-kun?" She cocked her head to the, the way a confused puppy would, and he gave a silent laugh. She was so clueless. So innocent.

"I don't want to see you hurting." Kakashi stopped for a moment. "You are special to me Sakura-chan."


	3. Set Up Camp

Look Into The Sky  
Chapter three: Set up camp  
By Mikomi Hatake

"It is because I care about you Sakura-chan." The silver haired jounin spoke as Sakura stopped dead in her tracks.

'Could he really?'

"I care about all of you." He continued, trying to fix his quick slip of words. "You three are like my family."

'I thought so .' Sakura tried to hide the sadness in her voice. "Don't worry Kakashi-Kun, we care about you too."

He smiled, Kakashi-Kun. It was the fact that her nickname for him just slid off her lips and it made the jounin weak in the knees. Of course it only worked when Sakura spoke, when Naruto tried it, Kakashi could only cringe at how crude it sounded.

Sakura had failed to notice the looks that she was receiving from Masaru, and how he cringed every time she spoke. Naruto was trying to keep their client's focus, but he failed as Sakura only got louder and louder. 'What a hypocrite.'

"So, how much longer until we get to the Land of Wind?"

Their client didn't speak, for he had not heard the Uchiha boy's question, his mind was still on the kunoichi behind him. The first giggle had given it all away. The smallest member of the ANBU team was female. He wanted to spit at just the though of being protected by a mere girl. He has directly told the Hokage that he wanted no women present to hinder their trip.

The sun was just beginning to set as the escort company, as Naruto had put it, had just begun to set up their camp for the night. Sasuke and Naruto were sent to go and find firewood while Sakura was left to set up the tents, and Kakashi began to work on dinner for the five of them. Naruto had been assigned to pack food for the trip, so you could be assured that they would only be eating ramen during their trip.

Masaru only sat and watched, as the shinobi went about with their work. When the first tent was set up, he disappeared into it, and retired for the night. Totally ignoring the chaos around him, and forgetting his dinner.

As Sakura was setting up the fifth, and final tent, she heard a loud noise from somewhere in the woods around the camp. It had almost sounded like a scream. She grabbed a kunai from her log holster and looked over at Kakashi, who had stood ready to protect their ungrateful client at all costs.

The pink haired kunoichi kept her eyes on the opening into the forest for some sign that the other half of team seven was uninjured. As she stepped towards the trees a brown ball of fuzz ran past her, into her tent. She sighed a breath of relief. It was only a squirrel. She put her kunai down, and looked at her sensei once more. But of course, it couldn't be over that soon.

She screamed as something else ran past her, into her tent with the poor squirrel. It was a loud blond blur. Naruto.

She cringed as she heard the delicate fabric from her tent rip, multiple times. All she could do was sit and wait for the squirrel and the shinobi to emerge from the tattered shelter. The Uchiha had already returned when Naruto finally emerged from the tent. He held the defenseless animal up by the tail, victorious.

The Uchiha boy sighed. "Looks like I owe you a bowl of ramen again."

Sakura just wanted to slug both of them. She had lost her tent because of some stupid bet.

Her pink locks here hidden beneath her hood, as she sat beside the campfire, alone. Her team had already slipped off to bed, and retired for the night, and she had been the one to volunteer for guard duty, due to her loss of her tent.

The skies had begun to drizzle around the time her boys went to bed, and several hours had already passed. She assumed it was around one in the morning. Even with the small amount of rain that was falling she had become soaked to the skin, and chilled to the bones.

The fire was still flickering and smoking as the rain fell. The pink haired girl sighed as she felt a familiar chakra coming towards her. She felt a light jacket placed on her shoulders.

Kakashi sat on the log next to Sakura, and felt her head rest on his bare shoulder.

"Thank you Kakashi-kun."

"Only for you Sakura-chan." He spoke as he slid an arm around the woman, holding her close.

There was a silence between the two before the older ninja spoke again. "You really need to dry off and get some rest."

She shook her head. "Who will watch the camp?"

"Sasuke is still awake."

She nodded against his body. "But where would I sleep, Naruto ruined my tent."

"Take mine." The silver haired man offered.

"Where will you sleep."

"It's a big tent, Sakura-chan. We can share." He could see her blush with what little light the fire gave off, and he smiled, thankful that his mask covered his expressions.

"Alright Kakashi-kun."

No more was said between the two shinobi until Sakura had changed into some dry clothes and clambered into her sleeping bag, beside Kakashi, where he sat reading Icha Icha Violence.

"No dirty thoughts about me, right Kakashi-kun?"

He smile through his mask. "Right Sakura-chan."


	4. Be My Escape

Look into the Sky

Chapter four: Be My Escape

By Mikomi Hatake

The rest of the trip to the Wind Country was quite uneventful, save for a few heated arguments about females in the ninja business, and the like between Sakura and their male client.

"I'm so glad we finally got rid of that creep." The pink haired kunoichi cried, as her team began to set up camp for their night. The shinobi found it much easier to move quicker with out their client, but they were still a few hours away from the gates of Konohagakure, and the night was on its way.

"You just didn't like him because he was sexist." Her blond haired teammate replied as he was preparing dinner for the team. Spicy shrimp ramen this time around.

"That sounds like a damn good reason to me." Sakura called out as she began to pitch the tents. Her tent had been burned at the last campsite, but with Masaru gone she opted to take the extra shelter. Sure she would of rather spent the night with her silver haired teammate again, but she no longer had an acceptable reason to spend another night in his tent.

The hot summer sun had begun to set behind the horizon as team seven finished eating their supper and prepared for the long night ahead of them.

Everyone else had settled into their sleeping bags for the evening, all except for a certain pink haired kunoichi.

Sakura sat next to the comforting campfire once again. In her lap lay a simple black leather bound book.

Her journal.

This book was nothing like the red leather bound diary she had when she first became a ninja, full of her half hearted confessions of love to a stubborn Uchiha. This was a journal, full of a shinobi's thoughts, dreams, and feelings. This journal held all of Sakura's precious moments for her to look back upon in the years to come.

Her pen traveled silently over the pages in the black leather book, reveling all that had happened along the journey to the Wind Country, and all that her client had said to upset her and all he had to anger her. She only let her hand come to a rest when the fire had burned out, leaving her with no light to see the papers in front of her face.

She silently trudged back to her tent, tossed her journal into her back pack, and flopped down on her sleeping bag. The hands of her watch pointed to eleven fifteen. The night was still young, and this kunoichi was restless.

She spent the next several moments tossing and turning on the forest floor before she gave up on sleeping.

He could sense her presence outside the fabric of his tent, and a small smile formed under his mask. He closed his smutty book and awaited her voice.

"Kaka-Kun." She paused for a moment, running her fingertips through her cherry tresses. There was a small grunt from inside the shelter. "Do you mind if I come in? I can't sleep."

There was silence for a moment, before the kunoichi heard the copy nin reply.

"Sure thing Sakura-chan." He pushed aside the flap to the tent, and the pink haired ninja pushed her way inside. She plopped down on the far side of the tent, and grabbed her teammates sleeping bag.

He just watched his young teammate make herself at home, in his tent and smiled beneath the cloth of his mask. "Is anything wrong Sakura?"

The young kunoichi was quiet for a moment before she responded to her sensei. "I'm fine Kakashi-kun, just a bit lonely."

And with those last words Sakura laid her head down on her team members pillow, and was a sleep in a matter of moments.

Kakashi only pulled out his beloved Icha Icha Paradise, and began to occupy his mind with the explicit images as he forgot about the pink haired girl sharing his tent.


	5. Perverted Dreams and Swimming

Look Into The Sky  
Chapter Five: Perverted Dreams and Swimming  
By Mikomi Hatake

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto would I be writing a fan fiction about the characters? I think not. Masashi Kishimoto is the lucky one who owns Naruto and the gang.

Author notes: Thank you yet again to everyone who review the last chapter! Sorry its been taking me awhile to update, but my professors have been giving me a ton of papers and other assignments to fry my small brain. This chapter was a bit hard for me to write, no pun intended, and it took awhile for me to get the chapter to come out right.

* * *

The pink haired kunoichi awoke with a start. Something was poking her in the back. Something hard. 

Her former sensei had fallen asleep while reading Icha Icha Paradise, and the results of his smutty reading were now interrupting her sleep. She could not even begin to fathom what thoughts were going threw his perverted mind.

Sometime during the night her silver haired teammate had thrown his arm around Sakura and pulled her close to him. His leg was thrown lazily over hip, and his mask clad face lay near her own. His hips were against the small of her back, and his manhood was pressing into her body.

As Sakura tried to slip out of the copy nins grasp he merely pulled her closer to his bare chest, mumbling incoherently.

* * *

The blond shinobi's eyes slowly fluttered open as the sunlight from his open tent warmed his face. He yawned and stretched his arms out, awaking himself from a good nights rest. 

'I really need to remember to zip my tent up at night.' Naruto sighed to himself as he pulled on his sandals before stepping out into the warm summer morning.

He squinted his eyes until he was able to adjust to the sunlight, and looked over the campsite.

It was a peaceful morning. The only sounds were that of the river not far from Team Seven's camp site, the chirping of the birds in the morning sky, and the quiet sound of slumber coming from the tent of the blonde's arch rival.

Naruto's eyes came to rest at the opening to the empty tent of the sole female on Team Seven. He pushed the tarp opening aside and looked in. He was shocked to find her tent empty, even her blankets were unaccounted for.

Now normally the loud mouthed boy would find this a necessary reason to scream at the top of his lungs and cause a huge ruckus, but today he decided to be a tad more civilized. He rushed to his rivals tent, pulled down the zipper, and proceeded to wake up the remaining survivor of the Uchiha clan.

"Sasuke-teme wake up! Sakura-chan is missing." The blond cried as he shook his teammate awake.

"Shut up dobe." Sasuke grunted. "She is still in the campsite, stop freakin' out." He swung his fist at the blond and nailed him on the head.

Naruto clutched his head, and staggered out of the occupied tent. "Ow. That really huts Sasuke."

Naruto sat beside the smoking embers of the fire from the night before when Sasuke walked out into the summer morning.

"I still don't see Sakura-chan." The blond whined to no one in particular.

He silently pointed to their team leaders tent as he sat beside Naruto on the log.

"You want me to ask Kakashi-Sensei where she is?" Naruto questioned.

"No you dobe. She is in his tent." Sasuke sighed. "She is in there with Kakashi."

"Oh." Naruto looked over to the said tent. "What do you think they are doing in there?"

"Sleeping. Like I should." The Uchiha mumbled.

"How do you know?"

"Don't you remember how to sense charka? Or did you not pay attention during class?"

At this point the blond decided to keep his big mouth shut, before digging himself a nice deep hole, and began to focus on breakfast.

* * *

Sure, it was a warm summer morning, but that never meant the river would be warm as well. 

Sasuke and Naruto had opted to race to the river near camp, and see who could catch the biggest fish for their meal.

As the two team members stood near the river shore, planning out how they would catch their fish, Naruto thought it would be hysterical to push the raven haired boy into the frigid waters.

Sasuke went face first into the cold water, arms flailing in every direction. Naruto fell to the ground, grabbing his stomach as he lay there laughing.

Sure, it was funny, until Sasuke clambered out of the river and threatened Naruto's life, then threw him into the waters, with a huge splash.

By this time, all the fish had been scared off, and both of the ninjas were soaked to the bones.

The duo tugged back to their campsite, leaving a trail of soggy footprints in the soil. The smell of hot ramen whiffed into Naruto's nose, and ran the rest of the way back to camp, to find Sakura heating the noodles over the freshly made fire.

"Good morning Sakura-chan!" The pink haired kunoichi looked up to see the blond boy in his soaked training clothes. She tried to hold back a snicker when she watched the Uchiha boy walk into the clearing, also soaked.

"What happened to you too?" She asked.

"We went for a morning swim." Sasuke replied, in a monotone voice.

* * *

More author notes: I'm am truly sorry this took so long to get written, but I have had a lot of studying and papers to write. College sucks like that sometimes. Hope you enjoyed this installment of Look Into the Sky. I'll be off starting the next chapter, and watching the Super Bowl. 


	6. Gone Fishing

Look Into the Sky  
Chapter Six: Gone Fishing  
By Mikomi Hatake

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or an of the characters that are used in this fan fiction. I would love to own Kakashi though. That would be spiffy.

Author Notes: I was hoping to have this chapter up in time for Valentine's Day, but I failed miserably at that goal, due to some relationship issues. I procrastinate so much as well, that its not even funny anymore. But here it is, chapter six!

* * *

The youngest members of team seven remained silent as they enjoyed yet another hot meal of beef favored instant styrofoam cup ramen. The blond haired shinobi keep sending glances over to the female counterpart of the team, and the remaining member of the Uchiha clan tried to ignore the fact that the pink haired kunoichi had spent an unnecessary night in their former sensei's tent.

Sakura could tell something was bothering the two of her boys, and she had a good idea on what that problem might be. The blond kept throwing glances over to Kakashi's tent, and then over at herself. "Is something bothering you Naruto-chan?"

The blond boy looked up at her, then quickly glanced over to Sasuke. He took a deep breath before he spoke, "I…I mean we…we were wondering…what…"

Sasuke interrupted the blond, who had momentarily taken up his girlfriends stuttering. "Why did you sleep in Kakashi's tent last night?"

The pink haired kunoichi laughed as she placed her styrofoam cup on the forest floor. "It was cold out last night Sasuke-kun, and I didn't bring any extra blankets on this trip." Naruto of course believed this lie right away, but the Uchiha prodigy knew better than to believe the lying shinobi. He knew something was up between the medic-nin and the infamous copy-nin.

* * *

The silver haired ninja awoke fairly late in the morning, on the day they were to return to the village. When he stepped outside his tent he was surprised to see the campsite packed up, but his former students were nowhere to be found.

There was a cup of already made instant ramen and a small note on the lid that read "Gone fishing." Kakashi smiled as he ripped off the paper top and dove in with his wooden chopsticks.

When he finished his late breakfast the copy-nin proceeded to pack up his own tent and went to join his team down by the river.

As he walked into the clearing where his team resided he noticed a neat pile of clothes, naturally Sakura's, and a mass pile of ANBU gear, which was without a doubt Sasuke's and Naruto's.

A blond mop of hair bobbed up and down in the refreshing stream, while a pair of arms flailed wildly around, grasping a struggling trout.

The Uchiha boy stood in the center of the water, clad in only a pair of shorts, arguing with the mop of wet hair.

"I caught it, beat that Sasuke-teme!"

"Shut up dobe, you're going to scare all the fish off."

The pink haired kunoichi sat along the shore with her delicate feet dangling in the cool water. She had on a black tank top and a pair of black shorts that were undoubtedly stolen from either Sasuke or Naruto.

Kakashi silently walked over to the shore and sat next to the female shinobi. He had left his shoes and ANBU vest in the jumble of clothes, and he placed his bare feet in the water, next to the small feet of Sakura. Silently she placed her head on the copy-nin's shoulder, and his arm slowly slipped around her waist, pulling her closer.

"Good morning, Sakura-chan." He gave her a small chuckle.

"It's more like early afternoon, Kaka-kun." She smiled.

"How did you sleep?"

Sakura pushed all the thoughts of waking up beside her 'excited' former teacher out the window. "Wonderfully." Sakura really hoped he had no idea what she woke up too.

"That's good."

* * *

Sasuke silently nudged the blond haired boy and pointed in the direction of Sakura and the copy-nin.

"What is it Sasuke-te…Oh…my…god…"

"I told you something was up between them, dobe."

"Is that Sakura-chan, and Kakashi-sensei?!"

"Shut up dobe, they might hear you."

"Do you think Sakura-chan is happy?" Naruto asked.

"I guess so. She looks happy."

Naruto turned to look at his teammate. "Are you mad that she found someone else?"

"No. I'm happy for her." Sasuke smiled. "Its about time that she moved on."


	7. Only a ninja would understand

Look into the Sky

Chapter seven: Only a ninja would understand.

By Mikomi Hatake

Author Notes: Yay. I updated. Sorry it took so long. It has almost been four months since my last update, and I'm very ashamed. I lost track of this story with all that I have been doing. And I can happily say that working full time sucks majorly.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto, Konohagakure, Kakashi or any of the other said characters in this story. They belong to a very lucky Japanese man, in Japan.

Once team seven returned to Konohagakure from their painstaking escort mission, the shinobi went on their separate ways. The infamous copy nin disappeared in a cloud of smoke to go deliver the mission report to the Hokage, the last remaining member of the Uchiha family and the Kyuubi container headed off the to the ramen stand for a quick snack, and the head medic nin was left to ponder her thoughts on the red bridge.

The pink haired kunoichi sat on the edge of the bridge dangling her feet over the clam water. She let out a soft sigh as her forehead came in contact with the cool railing.

As time goes on I have begun to find myself falling for another man. I enjoy the precious time we spend together, and I am constantly looking to spend more time right beside him. I also think that he has begun to open up to me much more, and I have found out so much in the past few days about him then I had when I was a genin. Its almost as if he is opening up, and letting me in to his life. I won't throw myself at his feet, like I did when I thought I loved Sasuke, but I just hope my affection doesn't go unseen by him.

Sakura looked out over the water, seeing her reflection in the light cast out by the full moon. She could almost feel his presence lingering in the air around her.

_Ino always told me that you can't choose who you fall in love with, and I think she maybe right. I would never have chosen to fall for my former sensei, but I can't help enjoying this feeling._

Sakura let out a small shiver as the cool spring air reached her bare shoulders. She still had on her anbu uniform on, but of course she had left her jacket at home.

___She also thinks that I need to stop bottling up all these emotions inside of me. She keeps telling me to just fess up and admit that I have feelings for someone. Sure she knows that I like a guy, but I don't think I will be telling her who it is in the near future. Not unless I want all of Fire Country to know that I have a longing for the infamous copy nin, and my former sensei._

The pink haired medic closed her eyes as she continued to recall the words that had been previously recorded in her journal.

__

I am glad that I have finally been able to move on, and continue forward with my life, but I feel that I should begin to settle down.. Sure, I love being a kunoichi, but I would love to start a family in the near future. I am a ninja, and I live in the moment. There maybe no tomorrow for me.

Sure there are plenty of civilian men in this village, but I believe that only a fellow ninja would be able to understand the dangers of our work. I would hate to leave a civilian husband alone if something were to happen to me.

Only a ninja would understand.


	8. She's Like The Wind

Look into the Sky  
She's like the Wind  
By Mikomi Hatake

Author Notes: I was listening to She's like the Wind while I was working on this, so it really shows in this chapter. All of the characters thoughts are in _italics_. I am not a fan of this chapter, at all. But I hope you enjoy it anyways.

As the silver haired ninja left the jounin headquarters he opted to take the long route home. He stopped for a moment to pay respect to his deceased teammates, and found himself walking the route to his current teams meeting grounds. As the bridge came into view, Kakashi began to sense the presence of another shinobi.

Sitting on the bridge, with her legs dangling above the water was none other than Sakura. Kakashi decided to remain at a distance for the time being, and only watch the pink haired woman.

She let out a soft sigh as she placed her head on the railing of the bridge. "Oh god, I don't know what to do."

Kakashi decided to make his presence known as he walked closer towards the bridge. She didn't show any signs of disapproval, so he continued to walk towards her. "Do you want some company?"

The kunoichi looked over he shoulder and smiled. "Of course Kaka-kun."

He continued to close the distance between them, until he was standing directly behind her. As he sat down, he placed his legs on either side of Sakura and let them hang over the bridge.

Sakura slowly let her head rest on Kakashi's chest, hoping he wouldn't mind. "Its so nice to be home."

Kakashi only nodded in response. He wanted to respond, but he enjoyed the sounds of her breathing.

"Kaka-kun." She whispered as she closed her eyes. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course." He responded, as she rested his head atop of hers.

"In all the years I have known you I have never see you with a woman. Do you have a special someone?" He merely nodded. "Could you tell me about her?" She didn't want the silver haired man to know that she was disappointed. She couldn't let him know how she felt.

Kakashi didn't know how to respond with out letting his feelings for the kunoichi slip out. He waited a moment before speaking. "I guess I would say she's like the wind."

"Why would you say that?" Sakura was looking for some physical description of her teammates lover. She wanted to know what kind of female was his type, in hopes of someday becoming like her.

"Well She's taken my heart, but she doesn't know what she's done." Kakashi looked over the head of pink hair, out at the clam river.

"Have you told her how you feel about her?" Sakura knew she shouldn't pry to much farther into his private life, but she just had to know who the mystery woman was.

The jounin sighed. "She's out of my league."

Sakura could only nod in response. "I know how that is."_ If only you knew._

"She's in love with another. I'm just a fool to believe that I have anything she needs." _Why am I telling her all this._

"The only way to truly know is to tell her how you feel" Sakura looked out at the river, he head still resting on her teammates chest. _I should just follow my own advice for a change._

"Maybe one day."

At this point neither of the shinobi wanted to speak. They spent the rest of the night sitting on the bridge, resting on one another, just enjoying each other presence. Day break would come and go, and still neither would show any signs of leaving. It wasn't until a certain loudmouthed ninja showed up, that they realized the night was over.

For the first time in history, the copy nin was early for training.


	9. The Proposition

Look into the Sky  
By Mikomi Hatake  
Chapter Nine: The Proposition

Author Notes: Yay, I'm updating! Okae, lets hope that I can start to update this on a regular basis. I'm hoping to post a new chapter every month. Yeah right, but we can all hope. Lets see how that works out. This chapter starts out on the same day as the last chapter did.

The sun was shining directly above the group of four shinobi, as they continued their rigorous daily 'training'. The silver haired copy ninja sat under his favorite cherry blossom tree, reading his favorite volume of Icha Icha Paradise, while his favorite former student sat beside him.

The pink haired kunoichi sat watching her two friends fight over who would be paying for their dinner that evening. Every so often her eyes would wander to the man seated next to her, and she would become lost in her own thoughts.

'I should just tell him how I feel...But what about the woman he loves? Will he laugh at me?' Sakura began to try and put together all the thoughts in her head, trying to make some sense of what she should do. She placed her head on the shoulder of the silent copy-nin, and let out a deep sigh.

"Is something the matter, Sakura-chan?" Kakashi asked, as he looked over his book, at the pink haired woman.

Sakura nodded her head. "I'm at a loss, Kaka-kun."

"What do you mean?"

"There is this guy that I like, but I'm at confused on what to do."

"Does he know you like him?" Kakashi inquired, as he dog-eared his current page in the book, and put it off to the side.

She shook her head slightly, and closed her eyes. "I'm afraid Kaka-kun. I don't want to be rejected again."

The silver haired ninja chuckled. "No one in their right mind would ever turn you away." He turned to look at the kunoichi, "Have faith in yourself."

"I don't want to feel that rejection again Kakashi. Its just too painful." She opened her emerald eyes, and looked over at Sasuke and Naruto, who were still training. "Sasuke broke my heart once, and I don't want that to happen to me again." She felt the tears beginning to form in the corner of her eyes, and tried to blink them back, before the copy ninja noticed them.

"Just tell him Sakura, and hope for the best. That's all you can do." Kakashi smiled beneath his mask, as he went to pick up his orange novel.

"Kakashi, why don't you tell her?"

"I told you, she's out of my league."

Sakura snickered. "I have a proposition to make."

"What do you mean?"

"I bet that I can tell him before you tell her."


	10. Small Update

Author Notes: Just a small update because I have been gone for so long. Sorry its so short.

Sakura lay on her back watching the clouds pass under the autumn sun, her silver haired teammate was right beside her. Weeks had already passed since Sakura had proposed the bet, and still neither of them could confess their feelings. She had prayed that he would be able to tell the mysterious woman, so that she would not have to face him anymore, but the stupid bet only made matters worse. Now either she would have to face her fears and tell him, or face loosing him for good.

"Its simple. Either you tell him or you don't."

"Well your one to talk. You still haven't told her." She faked a smile. "Why not?"

"I only want her to be happy, and she seems happy without me." She could hear the sadness in Kakashi's voice.

Neither of them wanted to speak. Time passed and soon dusk was on its way. They sat in silence and watched as the sun set beyond the horizon.

"I need a drink." He grumbled and he ran a gloved hand through his hair. It was then agreed that the pair would head out to the bar later that night. Of course anytime alcohol and ninjas mixed it was never a good thing.


	11. The Bar

Look Into The Sky

Mikomi Hatake

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters from the series.

Author Notes: Alright, so I finally got off my lazy ass and typed this out. I don't even think I can come up with an excuse for this one. I've just become very busy and never really had the time to post this. But because of a freak accident with a fire hydrant, I have a few weekends where I will be staying home, so I may get this story finished sometime soon!

As Sakura pushed aside the curtain to the local shinobi bar she was faced with the strong smell of alcohol and smoke. Kakashi placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her into the dark environment. The music began to pour out of the speakers and filled the small room.

Sakura made her way over to the bar and sat on the first empty stool she could find. Her silver haired friend slid onto the seat next to her.

Kakashi looked around the establishment. He knew most of the customers in the building tonight. He glanced towards the barmaid, a young woman who seemed to be quite underdressed, her shirt barely covered her 'assets' and he was sure her skirt once belonged to a child. Her blond hair cascaded down her back. She gave him a wink as she handed a drink to another costumer.

The barmaid made her way over the to pair, and batted her eyelashes at Kakashi as she asked "What can I get you tonight?"

The pink haired woman spoke up, glaring at the barmaid. "We will be splitting a bottle of your finest sake." The blond nodded her head as she went to fetch the drink.

They sat in silence until their drinks were served. They both downed their first drink.

"So, have you asked her yet?" Sakura broke the silence as she placed her empty cup on the table, and looked up at her friend.

"I haven't had much of a chance." Kakashi mumbled into his cup.

"Well if it makes you feel any better, I still haven't asked him yet." Sakura looked down at the bar. "I just don't know how to go about it, plus I don't think he even likes me like that. There are all these other girls that he knows, and they are all so much prettier that me. He may even be seeing a girl. I never know." Tears were beginning to form in the corner of her eyes.

"Sakura." Kakashi placed his now empty cup on the table and leaned towards her.

She looked up at him, and tried to wipe away the tears. "What?"

"Shut up." Before she had time to respond his lips were placed firmly against her.


	12. Something to Talk About

* * *

Look Into The Sky  
By Mikomi Hatake

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the said characters in this story.  
Author Notes: I'm so very sorry that it took so long for me to update this story, but there has been a lot going on in my life, and I was sick with mononucleosis. There has been way too much drama in my life in the past few months, and I didn't really feel like I was going to be able to finish this. Hopefully this will get me back in the mood to write some more.  
I will also be rewriting this story within the next few weeks. I will go back and edit all the chapters and combine some of them. I will also be removing all my insanely long author notes, like this one. I don't think I will post the rewritten version until this one is finished, but that may change.

Sakura closed her eyes and felt herself being drawn deeper into the kiss. His hands found their way to her face and pulled her closer as he slid her tongue between her lips. She was vaguely aware of the face that they were making out in front of her drunken coworkers and friends.

They continued to kiss across the table until a deep familiar voice interrupted them. "I see the beauty of love has blossomed between you two." Sakura reluctantly looked up to see the face of Gai staring down at her, with a bright smile.

She immediately pulled away from Kakashi and she could fell her face begin to turn red. Gai had caught her kissing her ex-sensei. She looked towards the silver haired jounin as he was repositioning his mask over his face. He had a rather large smile on his face.

"Gai, what brings you here tonight?"

"Well, I was hoping to see if I could even out our pool record, but it seems that you are busy tonight." Gai gave the couple a small wave and made his way back to his table. She knew the whole town would know of the kiss she shared with Kakashi. There was no doubt in Sakura's mind, Gai loved to gossip almost as much as Ino.

Sakura gave a small sigh and placed her head in her arms. She could feel the tears beginning to well up in her eyes.

"Sakura, what's wrong?"

"Gai is not going to keep quiet about what he saw. I know the entire village will know by sunrise."

"Then lets give them something to talk about." __


End file.
